Weijin Kong

Tunable transverse superresolution with phase-only pupil filters

A new set of pure phase filters for realizing transverse superresolution is presented in this paper. The filters, whose significant features are their ability to tune and their simplicity, consist of one half-wave plate between two quarter-wave plates; the half-wave plate is made of two zones that can rotate with respect to each other. By rotating any zone of the half-wave plate, the central lobe width of the irradiance point spread function (PSF) in the transverse direction can be tunably reduced. At the same time, the axial intensity distribution is analysed in detail.

Negative refraction and subwavelength imaging in a hexagonal two-dimensional annular photonic crystal

Negative refraction in a hexagonal two-dimensional (2D) annular photonic crystal (APC) has been studied. The photonic band structure and equal frequency contours of the designed APC are analyzed using the plane wave expansion method, and the subwavelength imaging is simulated using finite-difference time-domain method. Numerical simulation results indicate that negative refraction and subwavelength imaging can be realized in the designed APC. The resolution of the designed APC slab is better than the radiation wavelength.

Broadband and high efficiency metal–multilayer dielectric grating based on non-quarter wave coatings as reflective mirror for 800 nm

A broadband and high efficiency metal–multilayer dielectric grating (MMDG), which was used to compress and stretch an ultra-short laser pulse in a chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) system, was designed. The diffraction characteristics of the MMDG were analyzed using the method of rigorous coupled wave analysis. The reflective mirror used for the broadband and high diffraction grating is made up of non-quarter wave metal–multi-layer dielectric coatings. Taking the diffraction efficiency of the −1 order as merit function, the parameters such as groove depth, residual thickness and reflective mirror were optimized to obtain broadband and high diffraction efficiency. The optimized MMDG shows an ultra-broadband working spectrum with an average efficiency exceeding 97% over 120 nm wavelength centered at 800 nm and TE polarization. The optimized MMDG should have potential application in CPA systems.

Nanoscale light confinement and nonlinearity of hybrid plasmonic waveguide with a metal cap

Abstract. A nonlinear hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW) with a metal cap on a nonlinear material-on-insulator rib is proposed. By using a finite-difference time-domain method, its light confinement and effective nonlinearity coefficient of the Kerr effect for all-optical switches are analyzed in detail. Numerical simulations illustrate that the nonlinear HPW structure has nanoscale confinement and high effective nonlinearity coefficient at the wavelength of 1550 nm. Consequently, the HPW can be used in all-optical signal processing of integrated photonics.

Beam splitter and beam bends based on self-collimation effect in two-dimensional photonic crystals

Basing on the self-collimation effect of photonic crystals, one-to-two beam splitter, beam bend and one-to-three beam splitter are, respectively, designed by introducing a different line defect along the same direction. From the equal-frequency contour plot which is calculated by the plane wave expansion method, we obtain the frequency and the propagate direction of the self-collimated beam. The self-collimated beam propagation in photonic crystals with different line defects is simulated by the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method with perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary conditions. The simulation results show that one-to-two beam splitter, beam bend and one-to-three beam splitter can be realized by appropriately arranging the line defect along the proper direction. Such devices can greatly enhance photonic crystals for use in high-density optical integrated circuits.

High diffraction efficiency for multi-layer dielectric gratings with rectangular groove

The purpose of this study is dedicated to the new design of the Multi-layer dielectric grating with the best performance giving a highly diffraction efficiency in the -1 order, by using the rigorous coupled wave Analysis (RCWA). The formulation for the implementation of the RCWA for multi-layer dielectric gratings incorporating the developed enhanced transmittance approach is presented. An optimized design of multi-layer dielectric grating working at 1053-nm with TE polarized light and 51.2° incident can obtain the diffraction efficiency of 99%.

Hybrid spherical cap plasmonic waveguide for tight mode confinement and long propagation length

The special abilities of plasmonic waveguide including tight field confinement and beyond diffraction limit within nano-scale structure have been exploited in many different fields. In order to overcome the trade-off between tight mode confinement and long propagation length, many kinds of nano-scale structures have been proposed in recent years. In this paper, a novel hybrid plasmonic waveguide consisting of the layer of metal Ag, a spherical cap with low-index dielectric layer placed above the metal Ag and a high-index dielectric layer placed above the spherical cap is proposed and analyzed theoretically. The relations between the characteristics of the bound modes, such as mode confinement, propagation lengths, and parameters of the spherical cap, the curvature and width, are numerically investigated in detail. The simulation results show that the nano-scale confinement can be realized. The simulation result shows that the performance of the proposed spherical cap hybrid plasmonic waveguide is better than the rectangle or cylindrical hybrid plasmonic waveguide. Such hybrid plasmonic waveguide has a tight mode confinement and long propagation length. This novel structure provides a promising application for high-integration density photonic components.

Controlled focus shaping with generalized cylindrical vector beam

An optical system is proposed for the controlled focus shaping of generalized cylindrical vector beams by a high-numerical-aperture lens. A segmented electro-optical filter with four concentric belts is introduced and works with a double-λ/2-plate. By controlling the rotational angle of the plate and the voltage applied to the filter with proper azimuth angle, a three-dimensional engineered focusing field, such as an electrically controlled axial-shifted focus, extended depth of focus, and a diffraction-limited optical tube, can be achieved. The main advantage of this focusing system is that the focused field can be adjusted and formed by the applied voltage and the rotational angle of the half-wave plates. It can provide a new focus shaping technique with free adjustability and flexibility.

Plasmonic-induced transparency in a MIM waveguide with two side-coupled rectangular ring disk structures

Plasmonic-induced transparency (PIT) in the metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguide with two side-coupled rectangular ring disk structures is numerically investigated. The PIT resonance occurs as a consequence of the destructive interference between the two structures. It is found that the transmittance can be easily adjusted by changing the parameters of the structure and coupling distance between the structure and waveguide. By optimizing the parameters, the transmittance of the structure can up to 75% in our discussion. These results may have important applications for designing integrated devices such as narrow-frequency optical filters, novel sensors and high-speed switches.

Sensitivity enhancement of surface plasmon resonance biosensor with graphene sandwiched between two metal films

A new optical sensor based on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is proposed and characterized. The sensor is composed by sandwiching the graphene sheets between two metal films in the Kretschmann configuration. The resonance angle and the sensitivity of proposed sensor are analyzed through the transfer matrix method. Moreover, the refractive index change of the analyte can be detected accurately by using the proposed sensor. It is observed that the sensitivity of the proposed bimetallic sensor configuration can be greatly enhanced than conventional single metal configuration by optimizing the thickness of the metals and the number of graphene layers. Finally, we believe that the proposed SPR configuration can further promote the biosensing application.